Sir Patrick Vallance visits HMGCC as part of spotlight tour to Milton Keynes

HMGCC welcomed Science Minister Patrick Vallance to its Milton Keynes office last week, where he learned more about our vital work with industry and academia. 

Lord Vallance, who was recently appointed Oxford-Cambridge Innovation Champion, made the visit as part of a wider tour to technology and local government sites in the area. 

Lord Vallance’s role sees him coordinate work from across all levels of government as well as in the private sector and academia, to promote investment and maximise the region’s strengths. 

During his local tour, Lord Vallance dropped in to HMGCC’s central Milton Keynes office to meet James  – the leader of our HMGCC Co-Creation pilot. 

James was able to present an overview of the important work done by the Co-Creation initiative in offering funding to tech businesses and academia, supporting and enabling them to develop technical solutions for use in national security work. 

James said: “I was really pleased to meet Lord Vallance during his visit to Milton Keynes last week. The city is a growing ecosystem for technology, based right in the heart of the Oxford and Cambridge growth corridor recently highlighted by Chancellor Rachel Reeve. 

“HMGCC is really committed to supporting the amazing resource which is right on our doorstep in the form of fantastic universities and a raft of both young and more established companies making important discoveries in science and technology. 

“At HMGCC we work hard to identify opportunities in which local innovation can be used to solve some of the toughest tech challenges facing national security. In turn we help these companies develop their ideas and even pivot to new markets.” 

HMGCC is based at Hanslope Park, just outside Milton Keynes, but it also has an office in Milton Keynes to facilitate work with companies and universities. 

Science Minister and Oxford-Cambridge Innovation Champion, Lord Vallance, said: 

“The critical national security work at HMGCC (His Majesty's Government Communications Centre) is proof of what can be achieved, when Government works closely with local tech companies. It is an example of how important the unique skills and expertise we have in the Oxford-Cambridge corridor are to the whole of the UK, which is why we want to support this area to truly unleash its potential.”